“African football does not get the respect it deserves” – Chantelle Hlorkah

Ghana’s female senior team midfielder, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah has stated that, African football does not get the respect it deserves.

Her assertions come following a question posed to her over ex-England defender, Jamie Carragher’s disrespectful comment against Egypt star, Mohamed Salah not standing a chance of winning the World Player award because he is African.

Carragher said of Mohamed Salah: “I think the problem is the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such, or maybe got a great chance of winning, I think it’s either the Champions League or the major tournament. Normally, the player who excels in that. “Egypt are not going to win the World Cup are they?”

Carragher attempted to clarify his comments on X, saying Salah was “at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or”.

“If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the AFCON & was MVP [Most Valuable Player] I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’Or. Because I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments.

“But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup/Euros, he would still have a great opportunity.”

These comments by the former Liverpool defender irked many Africans and Chantelle Hlorkah has added her voice. “If I am honest I think African football doesn’t get the respect it deserves because it’s a hard game, I don’t think many Europeans come to Africa and play their football in Africa,” Hlorkah told Original FM.

“Of course you have a lot of talent, amazing quality players. If you look at the Premier League alone, how many African players are in the premier league? “So to discredit the African Cup of Nations is very disrespectful.”

Hlorkah played a key role in Ghana’s bronze medal winning feat at the 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations held this year in Morocco.

The Black Queens defeated South Africa by 4-2 on penalty shootouts after the entire game ended 1-1.